As our beloved Dolphins continue to climb the mountain of suck that they've been climbing for, well, really ever since Dan Marino retired in 1999, and it appears the effects have been staggering on the size of the Dolphins fan base.

As evidence, its been reported that the Dolphins had their lowest rating ever for a home opener and the lowest in the NFL for this seasons opener.

reports suggest that the number of viewers was staggering low. It leads me to the question, are we a dying breed? I can remember the Tampa Bay Bucs franchise had no fans at all on the west coast when I was a kid. I mean none. I've always been a huge NFL dork, and followed the sport religiously since I was little. One of he first questions I would always ask people when I'd meet them was "Do you follow NFL?" and if so, "What team did you follow?". I never once heard of anyone who was a Bucs fan, but then again, they completely sucked and had pretty awful uniforms.

I have to wonder if our beloved Dolphins are starting to significantly lose their fan base, and if we aren't becoming that 70's and 80's Buccaneers team.

Thoughts?_________________"22 players are involved in every football play. To value precisely the activity of one of them, it is first necessary to account for the actions of the other 21"

Its sad to think about but when a team has been a disappointment for as long as we have, fans tend to lose interest and potential new fans choose a different team because of our reputation. It doesn't help that our colors are aqua & teal. I mean if you're a Miami youngster getting into football, would you feel like following "the fish", a team that has done nothing worthwhile for over a decade?

I wouldn't say we're about to become a team like the Bucs, though. The Dolphins are a team with history and I think there will always be a decent chunk of Dolphins fans. But starting to improve again would cause the fanbase to become more lively again._________________With much cheese,
Nacho Simulation Football League

I live in South Carolina where college football seems about 20x as popular as the NFL (which sucks) but I still run across Dolphins fans now and again. It seems like everyone knows someone who likes Miami. It's always an older generation, though. Never a young person which says a lot!

I would say that yes of course Phin fans are a dying breed. You cannot suck as long as we have without deterioration of the fan base. Factor in the blistering heat that makes it difficult to be in the stadium on September and October afternoons and you've got a real problem.

Honestly, the team could relocate at some point not too far down the road. And the ONLY solution is to put a consistent winner on the field, which I think Ross is probably incapable of doing._________________Earn more sessions by sleeving.

Factor in the blistering heat that makes it difficult to be in the stadium on September and October afternoons and you've got a real problem.

Nice point. I hadn't thought of that. I've been to a couple of games in Miami, but since I am from California, I forget that Florida gets as muggy and hot as it does. Then again, when I made it out to training camp a few years back, it was one of the most uncomfortable days of my life. The humidity is BRUTAL._________________"22 players are involved in every football play. To value precisely the activity of one of them, it is first necessary to account for the actions of the other 21"

Factor in the blistering heat that makes it difficult to be in the stadium on September and October afternoons and you've got a real problem.

Nice point. I hadn't thought of that. I've been to a couple of games in Miami, but since I am from California, I forget that Florida gets as muggy and hot as it does. Then again, when I made it out to training camp a few years back, it was one of the most uncomfortable days of my life. The humidity is BRUTAL.

You know ... that is a damn good point.

I just hooked up here with Neidermeir over the past few wk ends.
He just moved out from Lauderdale & he's just giggling about the weather here in beautiful Alameda Island.

Having also lived in Fla. myself I can't fathom paying a ton of cash to go sit in the hot sun/sauna &
watch my team "suck fat culo".

But before the Heat (NBA) the Marlins also struggled, Mia is such a fickle sports town.
Kinda like Atl, the fans won't come out till you give'm something good.

Factor in the blistering heat that makes it difficult to be in the stadium on September and October afternoons and you've got a real problem.

Nice point. I hadn't thought of that. I've been to a couple of games in Miami, but since I am from California, I forget that Florida gets as muggy and hot as it does. Then again, when I made it out to training camp a few years back, it was one of the most uncomfortable days of my life. The humidity is BRUTAL.

You know ... that is a damn good point.

I just hooked up here with Neidermeir over the past few wk ends.
He just moved out from Lauderdale & he's just giggling about the weather here in beautiful Alameda Island.

Having also lived in Fla. myself I can't fathom paying a ton of cash to go sit in the hot sun/sauna &
watch my team "suck fat culo".

But before the Heat (NBA) the Marlins also struggled, Mia is such a fickle sports town.
Kinda like Atl, the fans won't come out till you give'm something good.

Looks like Ross & Philbin better get crackin.

sug

Same is pretty much true in Los Angeles. The weather is so nice here and there is so much to do and see, baking in the hot sun for a subpar product just doesn't fly here. I think that's part of the reason the NFL hasn't come back to the Los Angeles market yet. It will, but my sense from people here is that the reception would be cool. I know some people that would be immediate fans, but there are so many transplants here in Los Angeles (people that have come from other cities) and most bring a team connection with them.

Anyway, I suppose this whole topic saddens me. The Dolphins were, at one point, the winning-est team in the league since the merger. Now they are perennial push overs. More glory to for each of us to share when they turn this ship around, I suppose._________________"22 players are involved in every football play. To value precisely the activity of one of them, it is first necessary to account for the actions of the other 21"

Factor in the blistering heat that makes it difficult to be in the stadium on September and October afternoons and you've got a real problem.

Nice point. I hadn't thought of that. I've been to a couple of games in Miami, but since I am from California, I forget that Florida gets as muggy and hot as it does. Then again, when I made it out to training camp a few years back, it was one of the most uncomfortable days of my life. The humidity is BRUTAL.

Other than performance on the field not being the greatest, these are the two things that strike me most. They need to find a way to do something with the stadium, even if it is to find a creative way to shade over parts of the stadium.

Also, one thing I note from this forum is how high a proportion of people live outside of South Florida. Maybe that's what you'd expect for all teams on a forum, but I'd bet very few of us are going to more than one/two games this year._________________

9er fan here, but I think it would help if the Dolphins darkened their colors. To a, you know, Miami Hurricane type jersey.

Ross is apparently working on that one. We'll see what he comes up with next season.

I never understood the jersey hate. I've always thought Miami had the best logo/jerseys in professional sports.

I don't care so much if we change colors or logos, but I hope we stay with something bright for the sake of our players.

Wearing dark colors will just absorb the heat whereas the lighter colors will reflect it away.....I played Saturday afternoons in South FL and there was always a noticeable difference when wearing our dark jerseys vs our white jerseys.